The Cloning

The age of miracles has passed. Or has it? The Cloning is a fast moving story of a young, hedonistic Harvard professor who clones a fragment from the Shroud of Turin believing that it contains Jesus' DNA, then implants the cells in the womb of a hell-raising youngster named Maria. This irreligious pair finds their lives hurled into new orbits by sudden, unprecedented fame . . . and a love that blossoms in the midst of chaos caused by the possible "second coming." Their experiences include the new post VatiLeaks Pope, the U.S. President, a banana republic dictator, and clerics on three continents. The story is satirical at moments, but it's not without a spiritual aspect; the two central characters are profoundly transformed.

A native of North Carolina, Wisner Washam received his BA with the Carolina Playmakers at the University in Chapel Hill, then studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England. From there he went to New York, intent on an acting career. During four seasons at the American Shakespeare Festival his duties came to include stage managing, and this led to a number of years as production stage manager for five Broadway shows, including Neil Simon’s ＂Star-Spangled Girl,＂ ＂Prisoner of Second Avenue,＂ and ＂Plaza Suite.＂ During the latter, he met his wife, actress Judith Barcroft. With her encouragement, he made a career change into the field of soap opera writing, fortunately at the right hand of daytime’s doyenne, Agnes Nixon, where he stayed for nearly twenty years as headwriter of ＂All My Children.＂ Subsequently, he worked on ＂The Guiding Light＂ and on development projects for Fox as well as French and German television. He’s won three Emmy Awards for his work in daytime. His screenplay, ＂The Cloning,＂ was selected by the Writers Guild of America for a public reading at Lincoln Center. He subsequently expanded that tale into this book. His second novel, ＂Edie’s Story＂ is available on Kindle. He and his wife live in Manhattan and are the parents of Ian and Amy, and proud grandparents of three girls.